UN Secretary-General: UN Mission in Syria could play a valuable role; Ban Ki-moon asks Security Council to respond immediately to the crisis; UNSC welcomes elections in Libya; India sends aid to Yemen on UN’s request;
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    • In a report to UN Security Council, the UN Secretary-General has noted the ‘valuable role’ the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) could play in the country. With the term of the mission coming to end on July 20, 2012, Ban Ki-moon has stated the role that the mission could play in supporting political dialogue and local confidence-building and also in establishing facts on the ground and reporting clearly and objectively to the international community. The Secretary-General, in the report, has also put forward options for reorientation of UNMIS in case the violence persists or openings for political dialogue develop. 1

    Separately, after Russia objected to a draft resolution on Syria, Ban Ki-moon asked the Security Council to act immediately on the Syrian crisis and warned that any failure would be giving ‘a license for further massacres’. 2

    In another development, the first national elections held in Libya after nearly five decades was welcomed by the UN Security Council. The Council also congratulated the Libyan authorities and the people for the largely peaceful elections and condemned isolated incidents of violence. 3

    Reports noted that following an UN appeal to the international community to assist Yemen, India extended humanitarian food assistance comprising rice. 4

    In other developments, after certain UN bodies, including WHO expressed fear that India may miss the Millennium Development Goals in maternal and child health, India reassured that thus far the country has been able to achieve a marked decline in both Under-Five Mortality Rate and Maternal Mortality Ratio. If the rate of decline continues, then India will be able to achieve the MDG target by 2015. 5

    According to a UN report, India is the third most favoured investment destination by major global companies after China and the United States. The report also predicted that investment inflows could increase by more than 20 per cent this year as well as the next. 6

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